HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS

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Head I - Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports

The Chairman: Head I, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Mr Sin Boon Ann.

Social Safety Net

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, given the stronger economic figures and the positive outlook for the year ahead, I think there may be a general sigh of relief that things will get better. While this may be true, there are many who would still be caught in the binds of structural unemployment or would have too many dependants to take care of.

For those who are down and out, I would like to ask the Minister to repeat this Government's assurance yet again that there is indeed a social safety net for all Singaporeans, and that no one would fall through the holes in the net.

Sir, many of us here in this House would know the stories too well. At our meet-the-people sessions, we come across more than a few who cannot make ends meet - whether it is because they have lost their jobs, have a spouse in jail,

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or just have too many children to take care of. We know that there are those who have to pay very substantial hospital bills for their parents, and still fork out monies to pay for utilities and school fees for their children. There are some who do well with some financial counselling, and there are others who are genuinely at the end of their tether.

For the down and out, I try to assure them that their children will not drop out of school simply because they do not have the money. I try to tell them that they will always have a roof over their heads and that they need not fear if they are ill. But sometimes, I honestly say, and with all honesty, I do wonder whether these assurances that are given can be effectively kept.

Sir, I stand here today to ask if the Minister would help me keep these promises. We want each MP to be able to leave this House at the end of the day and be able to give the same assurance to their residents. I know that our PM has said that he cannot promise a comfortable life for all. He does not want to breed an "entitlement mentality" among Singaporeans. I agree with him that "the best way to help such lower income households is by creating job opportunities for the unemployed and education opportunities for their children". This is the long-term way to help them to climb out of the poverty trap.

I am not asking for welfare. All I ask for is, if we can promise a simple life, with a simple promise. I ask if we can promise that no Singaporean child needs to worry that he cannot afford school. That no sick Singaporean will worry that he will be wheeled out of the hospital without care. That no family will be forced to sleep in the streets, if their home is force sold.

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Sir, these are basic needs. But I know that it is not easy to meet them. Even wealthy countries, such as America and Japan, have people sleeping in the streets. Healthcare is not a simple matter, and the cost of healthcare has increased even as our knowledge of illnesses has increased.

Against this backdrop of growing concern for the down and out, I am glad that the Government has now initiated the ComCare Fund to provide added relief and help to allay some of the concerns of Singaporeans. I would therefore like to thank the Prime Minister for initiating this $500 million ComCare Fund. However, they say that the devil is in the details. I just have three quick queries for the Minister. First, in spite of the many existing and different schemes, many people in need may still be unaware of them, to make full use of these resources to alleviate their situation. For instance, the CPF Top-up Scheme, for year 2003, 400,000 eligible Singaporeans have not put in at least $50 into their CPF account to qualify for the second lot of Economic Restructuring Shares, and one third of them are senior citizens. Presumably, many of those who are entitled to handouts are not aware. Can the Minister tell us how this can be addressed for the present schemes as well as for the ComCare Fund?

Second, with the introduction of ComCare Fund, will any current schemes be discontinued to rationalise and streamline administration of all these existing schemes? And thirdly, there are some Singaporeans who do not meet the criteria for the various schemes, yet they are actually in need of assistance. Will the ComCare Fund be administered with more flexibility? Will it adopt a looser and less strict approach towards such Singaporeans who are deemed too "rich" to be eligible, and yet too "poor" to sustain their costs of living?

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Cost and Standard of Living

Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Sir, I could recall very well when I was a young man, way back in the 70s, we were a family of six, our parents and four siblings. The six of us lived in a rental flat in Mei Ling Street. My father was the sole breadwinner and he worked as a security guard at a shipyard in Jurong, earning a monthly salary of about $700. With that salary and some overtime, he struggled but was able to maintain a decent living for the family and put all of us through school. We all survived, grew up and turned out to be okay.

Moving forward, Sir, to where we are now, 35 years later, our country has developed to a first-class status, with a better standard of living, a more educated population, better infrastructure and facilities, industrialised and modern. Sometimes, I wonder and seriously doubt if a family, like the one that my dad had, would be able to survive with a single salary of a security guard, or even an equivalent job like a cleaner.

Sir, on a month-to-month basis, with the exception of clothing, prices for all items in the CPI basket of goods and services have increased, with food and education and healthcare seeing large increases in both month-to-month and year-to-year basis. This goes to show that the basic cost of living in Singapore is rising. This is a major concern for all. What are we doing to ensure that ever increasing costs of living do not strip Singaporeans of a decent quality of life? Have we stopped to ask ourselves: are the majority of Singaporeans able to cope with the current cost of living?

Just the other day, I had an interesting conversation with some of my colleagues about the so-called "choosy Singaporean workers" that we so readily blame for not accepting low paying jobs, jobs that pay around $500 to $800 a month, and how

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we praise the foreign workers for their right attitudes in accepting those jobs and how hardworking these workers are compared to our locals. Then I realise we are not comparing apple with apple. Do I agree that a low paying job is still better than no job? We have to be realistic. How do we expect a family of six with school-going children whose household bills, and more, to survive with a salary of $800? Surprisingly, someone suggests that maybe it is better to outsource the care of the family to another country that has a lower standard of living. Then we are comparing apple with apple.

Sir, we have seen the rapid development of our country and sometimes we have seen in other countries that this rapid development unintentionally creates an underclass community which is left behind. I believe that we must have a better understanding of the cost needed to sustain a decent living for a typical Singaporean family. Attention must be given to the cost of procuring the basic necessities. In recent years, we have seen more and more asking for help and falling through the cracks of our system. Though I totally agree with our policy of not becoming a welfare state, we still need to improve our welfare system. Once this is done, we would be in a better position to prevent the creation of an underclass community.

The Poor

Dr Warren Lee (Sembawang): Sir, this Budget has brought much good news for the poor and the underprivileged in Singapore. In particular, I am very heartened to hear about the ComCare Fund that the Prime Minister has announced. Like Mr Sin Boon Ann, I would like to ask how exactly is this fund going to work in its three components of ComCare self-reliance, ComCare grow and ComCare enable. How can we approve the delivery of services to the poor under these new frameworks? How will the role

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of VWOs be, especially for things like family service centres? Will they be adequately funded in the light of new stresses on the system with more people out of work? How can we address the problems of children of poor families and how can we still continue to encourage self-reliance?

Sir, the poor are not the homogeneous group. One might say there are three groups: those who generally cannot get a job because of infirmity or lack of skills; those who will not accept a job because they deem that the jobs on offer are below their skills and experience level and not worth their while in salary; and those who have gotten a job, no matter how menial or poorly paid because they recognise that something is better than nothing. I hope that the Minister will adjust our policy of assistance to the needy to favour those who have already taken on a job, even if it does not pay enough to meet their current needs as they are proven by their actions, that is, taking on a job that they are prepared to help themselves. I also want to say that for this group, we should particularly look after their children to make sure that their children's education is not compromised because the father's or the mother's salary is insufficient.

Sir, many initiatives have been announced for families who fulfil the Singaporean ideal of two children and two legally married parents. This has been so in the past. I would like to highlight the plight of the non-standard families in Singapore, the dysfunctional ones, the single parents who were never married, families hit by divorce and death of a spouse, catastrophic illness, and those who have had too many children. I can understand the rationale for the policies and the signal that we must send that we strongly encourage traditional nuclear families who make responsible decisions to bring a child into the world, either to look after the child themselves or put

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them up for adoption by responsible people.

But, Sir, I would like to speak up for the children of such families. They did not ask to be born to such a family. When the family is without proper shelter, food or school fees, it is the children who suffer hunger and malnutrition, obesity and sedentary lifestyle because the parents have no time to take them out. It is the children who suffer physical and emotional abuse when parents divorce or go their separate ways. I believe we must find a way to deal with their problems separately from those of their parents. I believe we must acknowledge, deal with and prevent child abuse that tends to arise in such situations. And I thank Mr Hawazi for his assurance that children who have dropped out of school because of poverty must be able to find a way back into the system. I hope that the Minister will continue to share with us how the new ComCare scheme would be able to meet the needs of our poor and needy.

Dr Tan Boon Wan (Ang Mo Kio): Sir, during my meet-the-people sessions, my residents have come to seek financial help. I can put them into three broad groups. First, the poor. They are usually low in education, unskilled and have large families, without jobs, they have no income. If they work, the work is often low skill or odd jobs which pay little. Their children are in school, but with little money, the children face daunting obstacles with education. Second, the elderly. They have no income, little or no savings. They live alone or with their children, who either do not earn enough to help themselves or do not care for them.

4.45 pm

Third, the sandwich group. This comprises people who have assets but do not have the cash to live on. They are up to

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their necks with debts, arrears and mortgage repayments, rental, utility charges, service and conservancy charges, etc. What can be done to help them? Piecemeal solutions are not always suitable. For a resident with problems with his mortgage repayment, we could write to HDB to reduce the monthly repayment or to defer payment for a period. If he needs help with arrears of his utility or service and conservancy charges, we could appeal for affordable instalment repayment plans or to the CDC for help under the Utility and S&CC Assistance Schemes. But if we do not address the underlying causes, the help will be shortlived. This short spell of calm will break when the grace period runs out. When he returns, the situation could be worse.

The problems must be solved holistically. We need to pool all these problems together to understand them as a whole. Doing so, we can then determine the real underlying causes and formulate long-term solutions for the resident. The resident is also helped to understand his problem and the solution that is proposed. But to do this, we must have sufficient social workers and counsellors who are properly trained, whose tasks include seeking holistic solutions, and who are given time and resources to do so.

Sir, we also need the support system that empathises with the poor and their problems. I spoke on this matter during the Budget debate. Financial support must be managed with some flexibility. For example, it is not helpful to tell an applicant that he cannot be given financial help because a family member is working when the latter could be earning a few hundred dollars doing odd jobs, an amount hardly enough to support a family. For many needy families, the real answer is jobs that provide a reasonable steady family income for those who can work. They must be helped to find a job to

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prepare for one, if necessary. Up to now, those who need jobs are matched and told to go for interviews. Each position usually ends up with several applicants, and all but one will go away disappointed, with travel expenses incurred. Some turn up, only to be told that the vacancy has been filled. Others are mismatched. Those who are matched a few times are dropped from the queue and told to re-apply. Some residents told me that they felt as if the Government is merely going through the motion but is not serious in helping them. We know that is not true. So, civil servants must improve in the delivery of their services and show empathy during their contact. At the bottom line, what we need are more than appropriate jobs for those who are looking for work. However, for the old, those who can no longer work and the very young, the Government and society must work together through many-helping-hands to help them.

On the other hand, our people must make the efforts to help themselves. Some in trouble are in this plight because they did not prepare themselves to face difficult times or old age. Not only that, they may have even spent their future income by borrowing on credit cards and buying things they do not need or can ill afford on hire purchase. How do we promote and develop financial awareness and resilience among Singaporeans? How can we get our people to prepare for difficult times, such as in an economic downturn or a loss of income when we have to stop work or when we grow old, by saving more when we are young or when times are good? Our people must be encouraged to do this. This is crucial when we are moving into the new global economy where change is rapid and inevitable.

Assistance for the Unemployed and Needy

Mr Wee Siew Kim (Ang Mo Kio): Sir, I welcome the introduction of the ComCare scheme. It will play an important role in our many-helping-hands approach to

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community assistance. More importantly, it focuses on customised help programmes for the CDC acting as the one-stop centre for social assistance. Together with the local grassroots organisations, I hope that we can now reach out to those who have fallen through the cracks. I hope that ComCare will pay attention to those who are struggling but ignored by existing assistance schemes.

I tried to make a count. I believe there are at least nine social assistance schemes administered by the CDCs. In addition, we have private foundations, self-help and volunteer groups, each having also set up funds for the poor. So, on the surface, we do seem to have many help schemes. But the question is, how effective are all of us in reaching out to the poor, especially the chronic cases? The set up of a ComCare supervisory committee to customise help programmes that meet specific needs and to streamline existing schemes will be steps in the right direction. However, I ask the Minister to consider giving more flexibility to the CDC and the GROs on the ground to enable them to customise assistance.

At the 18th February 2005 sitting of Parliament, I asked about the number of children in schools that were below a certain per capita income. Fifty children of this year's Primary 1 intake indicated that their parents are retirees. I have no data on school children with parents who are unemployed. Only the local GROs would be able to sieve out these families and render assistance. Hence, I would like to ask the Minister if he would give the resources to the CDCs and local GROs to come to the aid of the two groups that I believe could benefit from more attention. These two groups are:

(1) The spritely aged who need an income; and

(2) The aged with young kids.

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I am not asking for dole-outs. Much as we have come across residents in our constituencies asking for their share of hand-outs, by and large, I maintain faith that Singaporeans retain good work ethics. But they must have work. Hence, help that is most appreciated must be in the form of employment for the spritely aged. I came across a 78-year-old woman who spends her mornings selling second-hand goods at a church's thrift shop. I came across a 68-year-old who pressed for a Yakult door-to-door sales licence to help support a grandchild of a divorced son. I came across a 60-year-old man who asked for work as he said that he had spent all his meagre savings on the funeral of his aged mother. He was single all his life, devoting it to looking after his late mother. Now alone, penniless, all he wanted was a job. For these aged, there is no work to be found. Hence, I believe that there is a category of the aged poor who want to be given a chance of self-sustenance and independence. Some may have dependants, but often we hear that their offsprings are already stretched ekeing out a living, much less looking after aged parents. I do not know how many of these aged, unemployed and needy are out there. If there are 20 of them, there must easily be 1,000 of them in the 84 constituencies. They need customised help.

Can I ask the Minister what is the social safety net for these people? What can we do to create the jobs for them through our local work schemes to get employers to employ them and to make it worthwhile for employers to take on older workers on a part-time basis?

The other category that needs attention is aged parents with a young set of children. In the examples that I have come across, they are usually families with low and irregular income, some daily-rated, which means no-work-no-pay. However, once they cannot work for any length of time due to illness or other reasons,

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they plunge straight into financial hardship. These families scrape by and are literally hanging by their fingernails.

The Chairman: Mr Wee, can you wrap it up, please?

Mr Wee Siew Kim: The needy and hardship cases usually do not fit typical cases and I hope more resources could be devoted to tackling them.

ComCare Fund

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): Sir, rendering help to those in their 50s to 80s with no job, no CPF nor anyone to turn to is of utmost urgency. I hope ComCare funds can be channelled to especially help this group. The women folk are especially vulnerable, as over 90% of women aged 60 and above have less than secondary education and, therefore, fewer work opportunities. Many of the poor, especially the elderly, are often ignorant and isolated from the help that they are eligible for.

Will MCYS set up a central register for our destitute, chronic poor and disabled, so that effective and thorough assistance can be rendered to them without anyone falling by the wayside? Will MCYS ensure that there are more social workers, working in conjunction with grassroots and voluntary organisations in the community, trained to engage and follow up on those in this register?

There is a slew of schemes available to help those in financial hardship that it makes them difficult to follow and to administer. Will MCYS help integrate them and make them more comprehensible? Will MCYS vet through our existing available schemes to remove stifling benchmarks and blanket rules to make sure that fewer fall through the system's cracks and also to factor in the

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complexities of an individual's needs? For example, we cannot always presume that the aged will always receive care from their families.

Sir, everyone accepts that health promotion and disease strategies to enable the elderly to remain fit and active in the community are the most effective ways in getting the best outcome in an ageing population. Could MCYS set up Centres of Activity to achieve this purpose? These centres aim to keep the mobile elderly fit and healthy for as long as possible through the concept of maintaining physical, mental and social well-being of the elderly, especially the less well-off elderly. Will MCYS set up such centres together with MOH at community centres or RC centres involving the grassroots groups and other volunteers from the community? I hope ComCare Fund can be used to fund such centres island-wide.

Miss Penny Low (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Sir, the $1 billion ComCare fund recognises the size of the challenges that we face today and tomorrow. Present challenges are families in various needs and those displaced by the changing economy. Future challenges will be all these, plus the problems of an ageing population. However, depending on the Government alone will never be sufficient. With the $1 billion fund, it is easy to rely on the money to "pu cai xiao xai" , just to tackle the problems of today rather than develop long-term strategies to combat the woes of tomorrow. Hence, would the Minister elaborate on:

(1) The specific strategies of the ComCare Fund;

(2) Whether there is any specific fund allocation for short, medium and long-term challenges that Singapore faces;

(3) What is the desired tangible outcome of the ComCare Fund? For

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example, is there a target education level to be achieved within a specific time period under the ComCare Grow Fund? Will the desired outcome for the ComCare include KPIs of eldercare centres, special work villages for the disabled and the not so physically well and, if so, in what timeframe?

(4) What is the exact disbursement mechanism of the ComCare Fund? Will CDCs be given a similar budget based on per capita, or compete for funding in a free-for-all first-come-first-served approach?

(5) How does the ComCare Fund tie in with the many-helping-hands approach?

We should build a society that is resilient and values self-help before reaching out to the community or private sector for all kinds of assistance. Cultivating a society of responsible citizens who are proud of their achievements is the only long-term sustainable safety net that Singapore should strive to achieve. I am sure that we do not want our many-helping-hands approach to become a many-grabbing-hands approach. Could the Minister assure this House that ComCare Fund would reinforce the many-helping-hands approach so that people would continue to discharge their family and social obligations towards the needy and the elderly?

Community Development Councils

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Sir, CDCs were set up in 1997 as a district administration for community programmes. Over the last two years, the role of the CDCs has been more active, especially in local job placements and financial assistance. For job placements over the last two years, I hope the CDCs have realised that holding job fairs does not mean successful job placement. It requires personal counselling and even equipping residents with interview skills.

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During the last two years, for short-term financial help, the CDC has adopted a broad-brush approach to these applicants. This can be seen in the drop of at least two-thirds of the cases for six months' help and those given three months' help. This means that after three months, the cases are dropped off and presumably the residents are back to their feet. With the ComCare Fund, which is targeted at needy families, CDCs need to be more focused. It should be on a case-by-case basis. Many cases need financial help, lack family support and need counselling for themselves as well as their dependants. It must be more targeted, with a comprehensive understanding of the family situation, targeted counselling and assistance with follow-up, so that families can be self-reliant as soon as possible.

The CDCs' quick and decisive response to the changing needs of the people is critical. With the increasing importance of the CDCs' role of self-help, more appropriate resources must be deployed to the CDCs. We need more social workers who are able to understand their family needs and provide the necessary counselling than general public relations and events organisers. In addition, with the increased budget for financial assistance, CDCs should be transparent in the use of the funds. There must be key performance indicators on the:

(1) Number of cases helped;

(2) Amount spent;

(3) Timeframe when the needy families can get the basic financial help; and

(4) Accountability for the administrative cost of managing these funds. I would use the example of Community Chest. It has prided itself on the low cost of the collection and administration of funds.

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5.00 pm

The Aged

Dr Warren Lee: Sir, what is the Government doing to ensure quality care for the elderly in the community? Can I suggest a solution that brings together the roles of MCYS, MOH and our private sector family physicians?

Sir, GPs are ubiquitous in every HDB community and they are part of the HDB experience that Minister Mah speaks of with such passion. Many would make good and great primary care doctors and case managers for the elderly if they could practise partially-subsidised care. By this I mean that the professional fees will be at private rates but their medication could be at subsidised rates in that the Government could specify a basket of basic drugs for chronic care conditions which GPs could stock at polyclinic prices and which citizens could purchase with their portable healthcare subsidies or with their MCYS benefits, irregardless of whether they see a primary practitioner in the private sector or at the polyclinic.

For most people, Sir, it is no more an expensive medication but appropriate use of standard medications that will make the difference. This scheme would make the cost of quality GP care more affordable, allow the sick elderly to grey gracefully in place. In fact, the GP could become the case manager for the elderly without much additional cost and resources.

Sir, many of the medical problems of the elderly and sick are common conditions that are amenable to standardised care algorithms and amenable to be cared by trained staff under the care of a fully trained professional. Older workers, such as retired executives, technical or supervisory staff entering the healthcare sector in their 40s and 50s could have a 15-20-year career as healthcare assistant

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professionals and care coordinators and they can help to exercise, transport and accompany the frail elderly to clinics and to assist in social work, physiotherapy and rehabilitative medicine therapy. Instead of needing to employ foreign paramedical staff, Singaporeans could be trained to do these jobs and, in so doing, get employment themselves. In this way, we will be developing the grey sector and reducing our dependence on foreign labour.

Training older workers and the well-elderly to take care of the frail elderly will free up valuable labour for wealth generating economic activities while relieving many families of the stark choice of looking after the grandmother versus getting a job.

Sir, other MPs may have alluded to also the need for more inter-agency cooperation in terms of ensuring a barrier-free environment for our elderly. But I would like to once again bring up the point that creating an elderly-friendly environment in our HDB heartlands requires the cooperation and commonsense judgement of officers from many agencies. I wish to point out that while there has been much improvement in this area, more can and needs to be done.

While each agency, such as HDB, LTA, Town Council and the like has done its part and looked after the buildings, pavements or roads under its purview according to the building-free accessibility and building codes and such other codes, the sum is sometimes less than its parts because it only takes one kerb or step to make it impossible for the elderly or handicapped to get from A to B.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, as our population ages, we will see more and more elderly singles and given the present trends, an increasing number will be singles who have never married before.

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We also see a rising number of elderly singles who are married before but either divorced or widowed. Some of them have no family support or come from dysfunctional families. Some of them have become physically disabled through old age and have to rely on walking aids or wheelchairs to get about.

I see them at my MPS quite regularly, Changkat being an ageing estate. Besides financial concerns, they are often beset with loneliness and depression. If you visit their flats, it is often quite bleak. Once, I had a woman, a single, in her 50s, who grasped my hands and wailed, "I am so lonely. Nobody cares whether I live or die.". I can send a befriender her way, but I doubt it will meet her deep-seated needs.

Sir, I would like to ask the Minister what is being done to support elderly singles as most of the activities on the ground are targeted mostly at families and the young. Talking to some of the elderly singles, you sense that there is still a hope in them for love. I notice that the Government tends to focus on marriage rates for those below 40. I hope that we give those above 40s and 50s a sense that there is hope because there are 20 or 30 more years to live, that there is a companion that they can turn to.

Sir, a recent study by the NUS on the quality of life of the elderly in Singapore found that the two domains of life that the elderly are most dissatisfied with are leisure and recreation facilities as well as the arts and culture scene in Singapore. The dissatisfaction is higher among the older age groups and the minority races as most of the activities are targeted at the majority of the population which are Chinese-speaking or English-speaking.

I note that many of the senior citizen groups on the ground at the grassroots level are Chinese-speaking and they tend

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to centre around karaoke or events where they speak Hokkien or the local dialects.

I would like to ask the Minister what the MCYS is doing to cater to the older age groups, in particular, those from the minority races, to help them integrate into society better, especially in their winter years.

The NUS' study also found the lower level of satisfaction being registered by the elderly aged 55 to 67, probably due to adjustment problems after retirement. Increasingly, many of those retiring are highly educated, English-speaking and still active. They cannot fit into the present senior citizens groups which largely cater to the masses and the lower-educated. Not all have the financial resources to go globe-trotting or to play golf. But they do have their own interest and can still contribute their talents to society.

Sir, recently, I was in US on my way up to the Grand Canyon. I stopped by a small town, sat in the public square and I found a group of senior citizens ambling by, sitting down with their guitars and violins and striking up a good tune - folk music, country music and basically having a good time. They add colour to the city and the town. I think we should create an environment like that in Singapore where growing old is something exciting - they can still bloom, they can still show their talents and not a time where they just fade into oblivion.

Sir, I would urge the Minister to consider setting up a national grassroots club for the English-speaking older Singaporeans especially those who are still healthy, active and higher-educated to cater to their various interests and to develop their skills and talents even after retirement. I would also urge the MCYS to assist the elderly in their adjustments after retirement by providing appropriate social networks as well as pre-retirement education.

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Mr Wee Siew Kim: Sir, the elderly has occupied a place of honour in our society. We have an annual Senior Citizens' Week. We are surrounded by senior citizens' corners and groups. Yet, more could be done. This group of people built Singapore. All strived to get us to where we are today. Many were born here, worked here and will die here. They are the true sons of the nation. Many came here young, our original foreign imports, stayed on and contributed. There will be more and more elderly people in Singapore. Many are still active and healthy and they want to continue to contribute to their community and the economy and to lead productive and meaningful lives. They want to be self-reliant.

I would like to ask the Minister for his plans to cater for the needs of an increasing number of elderly. What is the Government going to do to ensure quality care in the community? Quality care runs the gamut of accessible and affordable healthcare to those that need a home to care for them, a home that not only provides a roof and meals, but also will see to their medical care and other psychological, social and emotional needs. Will Government do more to encourage VWOs to run such homes, one piece of the many-helping-hands mosaic?

We are well-informed of wellness and healthy lifestyles. We watch our diet, we exercise and we load up on health supplements. We will live a longer and healthier life. But what will these older chaps with time on their hands do? Can I ask what has the Government done to help the elderly keep active? Amongst the needs and requests that I come across from older residents, I find that the one that is most hard put to address adequately is the request for jobs. Much as we want to enable more Singaporeans to continue working into their 60s and stay active, many today are unable to find employment. These older people who need jobs are generally beyond the age

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that most employers would consider seriously, and are generally less educated and less energetic. Once displaced, many are unable to get back into the workforce easily. A focused approach to tackling this problem is key to eventually dwindling down the numbers. An elderly earning his or her own keeps will see his or her own self-esteem rise. For those who are prepared to help themselves and are physically able to do so, we must find ways and means to help them. We could co-opt employer groups for help with these initiatives. MCYS and VWOs could also work together to identify jobs such as cleaning jobs, managing thrift shops and gardening for such elderly people.

Mr Davinder Singh (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mr Chairman, Sir, last year, one Member suggested that this House should prescribe tougher penalties for certain crimes against the elderly. That proposal, Members may remember, was inspired by an amendment that was made to the Penal Code where this House legislated that for certain crimes against domestic maids, the normal sentencing would be increased automatically by 1.5 times.

The Minister for Home Affairs who addressed that proposal at that time felt it was not necessary to do that for the elderly. He gave two main reasons. The first was that the elderly is not the only vulnerable group. There are children and the handicapped and that if we did that for the elderly, then we should also do that for the other groups. And where do we stop? The other reason advanced was that there is, in any event, effective protection because the prosecution has a discretion when it prosecutes to ask the court to impose a deterrent sentence because of aggravating circumstances.

It is difficult to argue with the logic of that argument if this issue is only one of law enforcement. But it is not. The question of deterrent penalties for crimes

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against elderly raises a wider question of our whole philosophy to the issue of how we treat our elderly. What concrete steps are we prepared to take to repay our debt of gratitude to that generation?

We have spent a great deal of time exhorting Singaporeans to practise the virtue of filial piety. I think the message is getting through. Many things are being done on the ground to make sure that the elderly are looked after. But there is something that they cannot do, which is, they cannot make laws. We can. The question is: what compelling reasons are there for us not to have an automatic increased penalty where certain types of crimes are committed against the elderly? We read in the papers regularly about robberies, snatch thefts or scams against the elderly. They are completely vulnerable and continue to be exposed to this kind of crimes.

Laws not only regulate behaviour between individuals, they actually reflect a society's social and cultural norms. If I take up the point that the Minister for Home Affairs made last year, which is that there are other vulnerable groups as well, so if we protect the elderly, we should do the same for the other groups. But the guiding principle is not only vulnerability. It is moral obligation. Do we or do we not have a moral obligation to do everything in our power to look after those who have looked after us? And if the question is yes, then why are we not imposing deterrent sentences mandatorily in cases of certain crimes against the elderly? These crimes continue. We all accept that they are beyond the bail. Really, they are too important an issue to be left to the discretion of one prosecutor. If we can do this for domestic workers, surely it merits protection and same treatment for our parents.

I would invite the Minister to review this issue.

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5.15 pm

Mr Ong Ah Heng: (In Mandarin) : Mr Chairman, Sir, Census 2000 revealed that there were some 240,000 Singaporeans who are now aged 65 and above. Our aged population is expected to grow rapidly over the next 25 years from the present 7% to about 19% of the population by 2030. The rapid increase in the proportion of older persons is mainly due to three factors. First, the post-war baby boomers who are now 35-54. In a few years' time they would have moved to the age range of 65 and above.

Second, with better advance in medical sciences, people are more healthy, food is more nutritious and the life-span is longer.

Third, the low fertility rate, which has dropped from 1.87 in 1990 to 1.37 in 2002.

With the trend of our young having fewer children and some even staying single, families would thus face increased pressure to care for both the young and the old. The demand for support to the elderly would thus become even more critical in future. Older Singaporeans have made significant contributions in the early years of our nation building. They deserve our respect and concern. As our Prime Minister said in his Budget speech, "Nobody should be left behind as Singapore forges ahead", I would like to ask the Minister what is the budget that the Government has set aside for eldercare services and would this budget be increased in future in tandem with the increase in elderly population.

The Elderly and Homemaker

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, in an ideal world, the elderly and the homemakers should not have to worry about finances when they reach old age, or if the sole breadwinner in the family should suddenly

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leave the family or, worse still, meet an untimely death. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world and, as MPs, we often come across cases in our meet-the-people sessions where the elderly are abandoned by their children or as we have heard earlier from our colleague, Mr Wee Siew Kim, of how an elderly is now forced to look for financial support, having looked after his parents all his life. Or, for that matter, housewives with children in tow, who had to grapple with bills and payments, when their spouses are no longer around.

For the elderly parents with children, there is at least the Maintenance of Parents Tribunal to turn to for their financial needs. However, while this solution is available, it is not always an option, as some elderly may not have children to lean on or have the energy to pursue their children in court every time they have defaulted on a payment. For them, happy retirement is not a choice. They would need to look at some kind of sustainable employment to secure at least some form of regular income to support their needs.

The situation for homemakers is not any easier. For many homemakers, they would have spent the better part of their lives being away from the workforce to help look after the family and raise their children. Very often, they are not in a position to hire domestic help because it does not make economic sense. Unfortunately, as they have not worked, they would not have accumulated sufficient CPF monies into their accounts. Quite obviously, Sir, this leaves them rather vulnerable, as they would be severely affected if their spouses were to leave them, or are no longer able to provide for them, through death or disability. Very often, their world would come crashing down should such an unfortunate turn of events were to occur.

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Could the Government help to increase the level of financial independence for these vulnerable Singaporeans? I truly believe we can. The Ministry could, apart from working closely with WDA and the CDCs to look for employment opportunities, take a leaf from the private-partnership model by actively working with the private sector to create employment opportunities for these people. I had, in fact, touched on this possibility in my earlier speech on the financial policy of the Government.

Very briefly, the Ministry could encourage the CDCs to work with the private sector to set up small ventures that could help these people. My colleague, Ms Irene Ng, for instance, clearly demonstrated this is possible when she convinced Killiney Kopitiam to start an outlet at her Community Club to provide employment opportunities for those who have just left the prison. Another example of such approach could well be to provide a framework for the setting up of cottage industries.

Sir, these are just some examples. My point is to ask the Minister whether the Government is concerned about the lack of financial independence of the elderly and the homemakers and whether they would seriously consider measures, including the ones I mentioned earlier, to help these Singaporeans who may be in need.

Abuse of the Elderly

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, MCYS must recognise the social ill of elderly abuse and implement measures to address it. There were about 100 cases of battered and neglected elders each year in the past five years and these cases were just the tip of the iceberg, as most cases were not reported. Like my parliamentary colleague, Mr Davinder Singh, could I beseech MCYS to look at better laws to protect the

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abused elders as many of them are helpless for various reasons? Perhaps MCYS should look at having our laws changed to empower social workers, doctors, family members and the homecare givers to protect senior citizens from abuse, in much the same way as they can intervene on behalf of abused children. Presently, the authorities can intervene only if the abused elderly person or a third person has applied for a Protection Order under the Women's Charter.

Could MCYS also look into our laws to better protect our elderly from financial abuses? For example, banks should be allowed to intervene when a staff suspects that an older person is being defrauded of financial asset.

MCYS should enhance public education on the various kinds of abuses such as infliction of physical pain and injury, debilitating mental anguish, unreasonable confinement, wilful deprivation by caretaker of services necessary to maintain mental and physical health and financial abuses.

As elderly abuse is seldom reported, would MCYS raise the awareness, targeting especially the relatives and friends of the victims to let them know that help can, and should, be sought for victims? In order to reduce the incidence of elderly abuse, would MCYS look into the availability of support services to give respite to caregivers and prevent the burnt-out syndrome of these care providers, especially those looking after the elderly, with demanding needs such as dementia or terminal illness?

Caregivers

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Several of my colleagues have touched obliquely on the topic I want to broach on today - how do we make sure that the people who care for the elderly, the young and the disabled are themselves taken care of?

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Dr Lily Neo and Nominated MP Ong Soh Khim have said that they wanted caregivers of aged parents to be given income tax relief. Assoc. Prof. Ong had also suggested that paid leave be given to those who need time off to care for their elderly dependants.

I would support these calls but, to broaden them, to include all persons who care for dependants including disabled family members or spouses, or parents of young children, or older children with learning disorders and disabilities.

Our Prime Minister wants a more inclusive society and I also believe that he means more than just building the obligatory ramp up shopping centres. I believe what he means is to think of the weak and the vulnerable, not just as burdens to be borne, but as members who are part of the larger family. More importantly, our inclusive society must also uphold those who make necessary sacrifices to provide care and comfort to those who need them. We should then make the effort to highlight stories of caregivers and their experiences to inspire and inform other caregivers and the wider public. MCYS could do more to fund more of such public education programmes, and run training sessions for caregivers to help them with their task.

I can think of an example. A simple thing such as taking a bath may be a special hazard for those who are infirm. Sir, there is a recent book called "Wish I Knew - Caring for the Sick at Home" which is a very readable account of the advice that nurses give to caregivers and how caregivers themselves cope with situations. We should have more of such literature, as we have more elderly in our community.

Sir, we also need more respite care centres that can take care of the elderly and disabled for short periods in order to provide the caregivers a chance to take a

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break. At present, we do have a few of these centres, including the AWWA Readycare Centre which is a day rehabilitation centre for the elderly, St Luke's Community Hospital and the Sree Narayana Mission Home.

There are also other community service centres which provide daycare for the elderly, services such as meal delivery, laundry and home nursing. The charges for such respite care can range from $30 to $300. This is not subsidised by the Government and cannot be paid for using Medisave or MediShield.

These are some of the voluntary welfare organisations that run hospitals and homes who may waive a portion of their fees for poorer families. I feel that there is a case for the Government to consider increasing the subsidy for such respite care in certain institutions. This is a small start in caring for caregivers but I believe that it would make a great difference to their quality of life.

Miss Penny Low: Sir, in last year's COS, I spoke about the need to establish more caregiver support groups. This year, I intend to ask for a more holistic approach to help caregivers.

Sir, caregivers face increasing stress. Demands of a changing job environment, escalating cost of living and medical costs, the need to stay integrated with the community and caring for their charges could be overwhelming. In particular, the sandwich generation that cares for the school-going age and the ageing parents, singles who are caring for ageing parents or disabled siblings, are a growing phenomenon in our ageing demography.

Sir, people are built differently and could be overwhelmed by the demands of these and could lead to breakdown in

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families and nervous breakdowns in the caregivers. In an all inclusive society approach, how could we empower, enable and enhance caregivers' ability to discharge their responsibilities? Is a one-stop centre for caregivers a possible idea? Is there a more holistic way to help the caregivers? I hope the answer to all these and suggestions from my colleagues is a yes.

The Disabled

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, I wish to ask what steps have been taken by the Government in facilitating the employment of the disabled? I read recently that Victor's Cafe hired three intellectually disabled people as waiters. This is unusual for the industry. The cafe owners said that although the intellectually disabled people may look a bit different, "that doesn't mean they can't do the job as well or even better". This effort is laudable and should be showcased.

The President's Address at the Opening of Parliament on 12th January 2005 affirmed the "many-helping-hands" approach adopted by the Government to build up a broad range of support services for the disabled. This tripartite relationship between the Government, the citizenry and the voluntary sector has achieved commendable results in the outreach to people with disabilities. In particular, the collaborative efforts of the various agencies have brought about greater focus on employment opportunities for the disabled. Even then, there is anecdotal evidence that some of the disabled are understandably apprehensive about disclosing their medical conditions to prospective employers for fear of discrimination, even if such medical conditions would not hamper their job performance. On the Government's side, the Ministry of Education has continually played a vital part in improving the quality of education for the disabled. But these efforts by the Government alone are not enough to

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adequately address the issue of facilitating the employment of the disabled.

The Government's response to the Remaking Singapore Committee's proposal to facilitate employment for the disabled stated that, "A more long-term arrangement and holistic approach is required for the societal integration needs of the disabled" and that "MCDS, NCSS and WDA are undertaking a more in-depth study on the skills, abilities and limitations of the different groups of persons with disabilities who are employable so as to market them more effectively to potential employers. Efforts are being made to engage companies to redesign jobs and to pilot employment test beds for employees with disabilities.".

Sir, I would like to know whether this study referred to has been completed and what efforts have been taken to engage the companies on redesigning jobs and piloting the employment test beds as well as the outcome of these efforts.

In the United Kingdom, recent legislative changes in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 have rendered it unlawful from October 2004 for an employer to discriminate against a disabled person when choosing someone for a job or considering people for promotion, dismissal or redundancy. I would like to ask the Minister if the Government intends to consider legislative changes as part of its strategy to facilitate the employment of the disabled and the chronically ill.

Such changes through governmental intervention may result in the disabled and the chronically ill getting one foot, perhaps both feet, in the door of a job opportunity. But I have no doubt that that is not the be-all and end-all of the matter. For the spectre of misunderstandings and negative attitudes from co-workers and employers is another battle for them.

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What is also needed is a focus by employers not on their differences, physically or intellectually, but on their common abilities and skills.

Sir, I believe that we need to engage the disabled and the chronically ill in society by optimising their employment opportunities in a greater way than we have before. We need to minimise the serious risk that these Singaporeans would not end up as the most vulnerable workers, not only during economic restructuring, but also in good times. These special Singaporeans go through the education system, learn specific skills and arm themselves with professional qualifications. And yet, at the time when they should be setting sail on the sea of their career adventure, society instead sets them sailing on the sea of nowhere, treating them without the dignity that comes with their difference. There needs to be a sea change in the mindsets of employers to welcome this often rejected labour force.

Dr Chong Weng Chiew (Tanjong Pagar): Sir, to achieve our goal of becoming a more inclusive society we have to adopt a more holistic approach towards integrating the disabled into our daily community lives. The major complaint I heard from many of my disabled friends in Singapore is the problem of transportation. Given the dominance of high-rise buildings and the fast pace of life in our city, we have to overcome many obstacles to accommodate the physical and social needs of our disabled friends.

We are certainly going the right direction with more ramps, lifts in public places, but there are still many areas of disjoints which hinder their movements. As we all know, just one area of disconnect could render a very simple journey "mission impossible" for the disabled. And there are implications from such physical inconveniences such as the inability to take on jobs leading to lifelong

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dependence on family members or financial assistance, depressed self-esteem and so on. Hence, I would like to recommend that MCYS work very closely with MND in the planning and revision of public facilities and infrastructure to ensure that all these little kinks are ironed out. It is also very important that the disabled be given the opportunity to be self-reliant. Many of them, in fact, are eager to contribute and be active and involve members of our community.

5.30 pm

Due to the rapid advances in technology, there are many affordable software and hardware which can help the disabled to work from home and become gainfully employed. May I encourage the Ministry to do more to improve the employment prospects of those who are disabled, and also to have schemes and financial provisions to help them acquire the necessary training and skills, tools and hardware to enable them to work. In addition, our disabled need a supportive social network within their community to help them to overcome various inconveniences. I would encourage the Ministry to erect a match-making or even befrienders' service scheme to link the disabled with their neighbours and volunteers staying in the vicinity, so that they would have an extended family to look out for assistance in their daily lives.

Building Strong Families

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, the topic of this cut is building strong families. Perhaps the question which we should ask ourselves before we speak of building strong families is whether or not we are really having enough families in the first place.

Sir, can the Minister give this House an update on the effectiveness of the

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baby bonus scheme so far? I know that this is a dicey matter to ask for results in matters of the bedroom. But since we are told that this is a serious problem, we ought to know how far we have progressed.

Sir, I want to address two issues in building strong families. The first is the issue of abortion. I wonder if we can look at this issue more seriously and provide some help to women who want to bring their babies to term but who, for whatever reason, decide to give them up for abortion. Can the Minister give us a breakdown of the profile of such women who seek abortions?

I do not have the latest figures. From 1992 to 1996, the total number of abortions fell from 17,000 to 14,000. But the proportion of teenage mothers aborting their babies has increased slightly. In 1996, about four abortions a week were of teenage mothers. What happened in these instances? Can they be persuaded to keep their babies? How can we help these young people?

The second issue is parenting. There are many parents today who need help in coping with children, whether they are toddlers or teenagers. I would like to suggest cash subsidies for parents who attend parenting courses as well as incentives for companies to provide time-off for parents to attend such courses.

We also need to create some awareness amongst parents to make this a priority. We take gymnastic classes, exercise classes, even language classes. But how many of us, as parents, take time to attend parenting classes? Do we assume that we just naturally become good parents? Or, as I suspect, to many of us, we just leave it to our wives.

Sir, this is a long haul and a delicate topic. But I feel we ought to give parents more support, since they are the cornerstone of building strong families.

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Social Enterprises

Miss Penny Low: Sir, the social enterprises, like Oxfam, Habitage Humana, Mr Condom in Thailand and micro-financing schemes have long-term sustainability and, at the same time, provide direct self-help avenues to their beneficiaries. This is in sync with our many-helping-hands approach and also the preferred approach of many of our disadvantaged citizens who are quite conspicuously missing from the public space.

Sir, social enterprises have become the preferred type of VWOs and NGOs in the developed countries like Japan, US and UK, which even has a CIC-type of company legislative framework that suits social enterprises. They also organise themselves into various help organisations that provide cross platforms for deeper discussions on administrative, technical and funding issues. These platforms are also excellent grounds for experience exchanges and the alliance to achieve a multiplier effect. Universities like Harvard and Columbia Universities also have extensive studies and developed programmes to jump start the social enterprises. In retrospect, our effort appears quite half-hearted.

Sir, if we are serious about boosting this sector and cultivating a self-reliant society, let us catch the wave and become a regional player in social enterprises, instead of going through our own learning curve. A way to jump start could be in inviting a few of these establishing international social enterprises to base their regional HQ in Singapore as well as collaborating with successful social enterprises overseas. Perhaps exchange programmes to train our own social entrepreneurs could also be instituted.

Sir, the power of our people and such social entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in the tsunami relief efforts. It demonstrates that in the event of a disaster, joint effort

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with the people sector will avert a crisis or at least effectively manage it. Does the Minister intend to encourage such an organisation and, if so, how?

The Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Dr Vivian Balakrishnan): Sir, I would like to share the two key priorities of my Ministry over the next two years.

The first is to build a caring and inclusive society, where no one will be left behind. As a country, Singapore has made a strategic decision to ride on globalisation, to have an open economy, to run a competitive system, in order for us to tap and harvest every opportunity for economic growth. And we have to do this because we are small and this is the only way to survive. However, the corollary of this strategic decision is that there will be increased competition for our people - competition which we cannot insulate our people from. And it is important that Members of this House appreciate this strategic fact. This sense of competing at the highest level is what makes Singapore exciting, but it is also what causes deep-seated anxiety and even fear in the hearts of some people who are worried that they may not be able to keep up with this fast paced competitive society, and are afraid that they will be left behind in this race. Our job is to make sure that every Singaporean and every family in Singapore has an opportunity to build a better life, to harvest the fruits of our labour as a nation, and an assurance that there will be a helping hand and no one will be left behind.

I agree with the sentiment that we cannot outsource the poor, because we are not a company. We are a nation and therefore we are in this together.

The second key priority is that we need to nurture the relationships that give us happiness, fulfilment and significance

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to our lives. At a personal level, my life is worthwhile because of my relationships with my wife, children, friends, colleagues and my fellow citizens. Family, friends and colleagues give us a reason to live, work and play. Shared experiences and memories are what bind us together as a society and what root us to this precious place called home. We derive a sense of ownership, not just from owning a flat but because of the opportunity to contribute, to build and leave something behind in this place called Singapore to make the difference. And that is why my Ministry focuses on the family, voluntary welfare organisations, racial and religious harmony, volunteerism, philanthropy, sports and opportunities for youth. Ultimately, it is about relationships, and enhancing the relationships that enrich our lives. So just bear these two key priorities in mind - that no one is left behind and it is about enriching our relationships.

Let me now focus on the first priority. Many Members have raised eloquent and deeply-felt pleas on behalf of the poor and needy and have asked how they are faring. As our economy grows and as we go through this painful restructuring, I know that there are Singaporeans out there who are feeling anxious and who are feeling the burden of this restructuring.

The past seven years from 1998 to 2004 have been difficult for the lowest 20th percentile of our population. Although the cost of living has not risen by much, wages for the less skilled jobs have declined marginally. Although at the statistical level, we may say that these are marginal changes, to real people on the ground facing these situations, these fears and anxieties are amplified. And this is not something that we can wish away - globalisation, recessions, restructuring, terrorism and biological plagues are facts of life.

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Some workers with only basic education obviously face increased difficulties finding jobs despite their best efforts. There are older Singaporeans who are frail, sometimes without family support, and sometimes with little savings. Similarly, while we have some disabled Singaporeans who are gainfully employed, we all know that it is that much more difficult for disabled persons to find jobs. If a person with no disability already has difficulty finding jobs, it can only be harder for a disabled person. I want to assure Members - and Mr Sin has asked me for an assurance - that we will not neglect such Singaporeans. They deserve their fair share of opportunities and they deserve our assistance.

I have distributed a handout enumerating all the current social assistance schemes that exist as of today. One Member just now toted up and said he had counted nine. I do not know whether to be pleased or to be disappointed to inform him that there are 51 - probably more as I still have not toted up all - and if Members look at the details in that handout, there are actually quite a lot of assistance available.

We actually have a very robust social safety net in Singapore and one which delivers considerable benefits to our people who need it most. But what is different, unique perhaps, about our social safety net compared with the welfare state that many Members, especially the Opposition Members, keep harping about is that in Singapore, this assistance is focused. It is focused specifically at the lowest 20% and it also takes into account the fact that the lowest 20th percentile are not a homogenous group. They are actually heterogeneous with different circumstances and with different needs.

Having said that, if Members look at what the Government provides for our people, the first tier is what I define as universal subsidies. By this, I mean healthcare, education and housing. The last time

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we tried to compute a value for this, this worked out to at least $12,000 a year. These are the subsidies for healthcare, housing and education. Over and above this, we have a comprehensive range of assistance schemes which are tailor-made for the different groups in the bottom 20%. The approach we use for each group must be different.

Let me give Members a few examples.

For those who have lost their jobs, we need to provide interim assistance. We obviously need to help them get re-employed and get back on their feet. For another group, whose incomes are low and chronically low, what they need is some ongoing financial assistance to supplement those incomes. In particular - and I am very struck by Mr Zainudin's speech - we need to make sure that their children get a good education because this is the only sure way to ensure that they escape the poverty trap, and that we will get many, many more Zainudins in Parliament and in the upper reaches of our society in the future. And then, at the lowest end, we have those who are frail elderly, disabled, who really cannot get a job and support themselves even if they wanted to. For them, and only them, we provide long-term assistance through our public assistance scheme. But fortunately for us, at this point in time, this is a small group and as of now there are only about 2,700 households receiving public assistance.

5.45 pm

Let me cite a few more examples - real examples - so that you get an idea of how our system works in practice. A family of four approached the South West CDC for assistance a few months ago. Both parents were not working, the family had problems making ends meet. The family received about $1,000 in assistance from the CDC. The father received job search and assistance through the Work Assistance Programme. The two

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children received school fee subsidies and free textbooks. The good news in the case of this family is that the father will be returning to work at the end of this month. And I understand that he and his wife will receive a combined income of about $1,400. The family see themselves as now having taken that first step towards self-reliance.

Take another example - a divorcee living with her mother and two children. To make things worse, she has not been able to work because of a traffic accident. Since the middle of last year, this family has received financial support through the Interim Financial Assistance Scheme and the Rent and Utilities Scheme. Her older child receives free uniforms and free textbooks. The younger child is able to go to a childcare centre because of subsidies under the Centre-Based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare. MUIS has also stepped in with some additional financial assistance. All in, since September last year, she has received about $3,800 in assistance. And over and above this, she also benefits from HDB's Public Rental Scheme where she pays less than $50 a month for her 2-room rental flat. And her family's medical expenses are covered by Medifund.

It is very important to understand the significance of Medifund. Medifund, in effect, means that every single person in Singapore has access to healthcare and, in cases of families like this, they often do not even pay a single cent for their healthcare. As a person who has worked at the front-end in hospitals, I can assure you there is no problem as far as access to healthcare for the poor in Singapore. This is something that is in stark contrast to the situation in developed countries, like the United States or even parts of Europe.

Let me give you another example - an elderly person living alone, a 69-year old childless widow, who has exhausted her savings with no family to turn to. We put

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her under the Public Assistance Scheme. But it is not us alone who is looking after her. The Sunlove Neighbourhood Link provides her with free meals. She gets food rations from SATS every alternate month, and she gets ang pows from foundations, like the Hong Leong Foundation and Shaw Foundation. In total, I have been told that she has been receiving about $4,100 a year. On top of this again, she receives assistance through Medifund and also takes advantage of highly subsidised housing under the Public Rental Scheme. Yes, she does not have a lot, but she is taken care of.

To help low-income families avoid the poverty trap, we also have this scheme called Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE). This is a special scheme, preventive or perhaps an incentive scheme, to send the message to these households that if they have smaller families they will be able to focus their resources on these precious few children. They can create a better future for themselves and their children.

I am sure Members of this House are aware that the sum total that is provided through HOPE is $100,000. This is a significant sum of money for people in that predicament. As of end January this year, we have 450 families who were signed on to this scheme. And I can assure Members of this House that I hope many more will benefit and take advantage of this scheme which we offer to them.

Sir, our social safety net ensures that our poor have a roof over their heads, food on the table, access to medical care, a chance to seek gainful employment, ie, to be trained for the next job, and education opportunities for their children. That is the guarantee, the hope, the option of social mobility to escape the

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poverty trap. And this is something which, I think, Singaporeans and, indeed, many of us in this House have not truly appreciated the extent and even, dare I say, the generosity of our social assistance package. In fact, I would put it to you that you will find very few countries, if at all, either capitalist or communist, which have done as well to look after the poor and give the poor hope, a chance to live a meaningful and self-respecting life, with dignity for themselves and hope for their children.

Our paradigm is assistance; it is not welfare. The experience of other countries with excessive welfare benefits has taught us that we need to calibrate how we deliver our help. All of us want to help, but we need to translate those good intentions into practical and sensible schemes on the ground. We must not douse the desire to get back on the feet and to be self-reliant. If we do that, we would have fundamentally changed our society, destroyed our ability to compete and survive, going forward. And this is even more critical now than ever before in this globalised world with competition that we cannot shield anybody from.

So to put it simply, our approach is assistance, not welfare; mutual obligation, not entitlement. No Singaporean should feel, when he reads the Straits Times tomorrow and sees these 51 schemes, that he has a right to demand every single cent from every single scheme in that handout. Everyone of us must still feel the need to strive and work harder for a better life for ourselves and for our family.

Some Members may feel that this is not being very compassionate. But I ask you to consider the consequences of choosing an easy populist route and just say, "These are the 51 schemes, let us give them all away.". If we did that - you and I know that there will be many who will not bother to work, much less upgrade their skills - the Government would

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have to raise taxes, both income tax and GST.

But, frankly, that is not the worst of it. The most dangerous fact of going down the populist route is the fact that you will have a welfare system which is not sustainable. And this is the crux of the problem which America and Europe are now struggling to resolve. And you and I know they have not solved it yet and the problem is only going to get worse. So we need to understand that, yes, we must love our neighbours, but we need to do it in a sensible, practical and sustainable way. And what we have so far has worked and can work for the future.

So I come back to the three fundamental principles behind our social safety net. First, to foster self-reliance. Our social safety net must be a trampoline. It must have springs so that someone who falls back on it can spring back up again. It is not meant to be a comfortable, luxury mattress for you to rest for a long term. Second, the family. The family must still remain our primary line of support, including both financial and emotional support. The Government cannot be a surrogate husband, a surrogate father, a surrogate mother or a surrogate brother or sister. Your family must still be there for you. Third, our social safety net is not something that is constructed and held up by the Government alone. We need "Many Helping Hands". And that is where ordinary citizens, voluntary welfare organisations and grassroots organisations have an absolutely crucial role to play. My friends, the issue is not money. It is not that the Government is being stingy and trying to save money and therefore asking the VWOs to come forward to help. The truth of the matter is compassion, dedication, sensitivity and passion. The energy of volunteers is something which cannot be matched by paid employees of the Government dishing out dole. There is a world of

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difference between a volunteer and a paid person, simply following the book and handing you a cheque every month.

That is not to say that our current system is perfect. I will be the first to admit it is not perfect, and that is why we need to continually look at it critically and try to improve it. So let me now touch briefly on ComCare because my Minister of State will go through the details. Let me explain the significance of ComCare. What does it mean to all of us? First, it means we are setting up a sustainable source of funds for the poor in Singapore. All of you know that the Ministries are on block budgets. All of you also applauded when you were told that the Ministries' block budgets were going to be cut. All of you also then knew that, in tough times, all Ministries, including my Ministry, would have their budget cut. Consequently, we felt that by setting up an Endowment Fund which will then generate interest, we will be able to have a source of funds which will be available in both good and bad times for our people. That is why although, as of now, it is going to go up to $500 million, in the long term we need a billion dollars or perhaps even more, so that it will truly be sustainable and, in a sense, budget neutral.

The second point which I want to emphasise about ComCare is that it signifies our commitment to do more. We have an ageing population. We have an economy which is going to be under increased pressure from competition from other parts of the world. So, yes, I think more people will need assistance in the future. There will be new money for new programmes. ComCare for this year will provide $55 million for a start. This is 40% more than we spent on the current schemes last year. This is proof that we are putting our money where our mouth is, that we are going to spend more money

where it is needed, not just spend money and dish it out, but do it in a disciplined and sensible way.

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Third, the establishment of ComCare gives us an opportunity to streamline our schemes. After I looked at that handout, I found 51 schemes. It is no wonder none of us, including the people out there, knew what was available for social assistance. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to rationalise and simplify and make it easier for all of us to implement the schemes. It does not necessarily mean that it is going to be easier for people to get more money. I do not think that should be the interpretation. But it means we should have a more rational and simplified interface to assistance.

Fourth, many of you have emphasised the need for flexibility, and I agree with you absolutely. Every individual and every family in trouble is different. Yes, for some schemes, we can use strict criteria, eg, whether you are working or not working, how much are you earning, how many people in your family, etc. But beyond the standard criteria-based schemes, there is a need for flexibility at the edges, and ComCare will provide that additional flexibility at the edge.

The fifth point which is significant about ComCare is that we are now signalling a decentralised approach to the delivery of public assistance. Why CDCs and why VWOs? Because they are on the ground and they consist of people who are living next to you, living amongst you, living in the community, people who know whether you are truly in need or whether you are using the money for beer and cigarettes, people who can see you, live with you and feel your pain and share your burdens. So, I believe the grassroots organisations will bring their local knowledge, their hearts and their human touch into play. And it will not be an impersonal Ministry up in Thomson Road that is giving you assistance.

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My Minister of State will elaborate on the details later, but there will basically be three categories of funds under ComCare. The first one we have called it ComCare Self-Reliance. That is focused on needy families who need interim assistance to tide over periods of unemployment. The second one we have called it ComCare Grow, and that is basically focused on children to ensure that children from needy families - and when I say needy families, let me emphasise that it does not matter whether that is a standard nuclear family, broken family, divorced family or children with single parents or children of elderly parents -all children who need help will receive help. And, in particular, we will look after their educational needs. The third category we have called it ComCare Enable, which focuses on those who need long-term assistance, eg, the frail elderly living alone and people with disabilities.

One specific feature which we are going to construct is a central database because, with so many schemes and so many people doing so many things, there is a real danger of either some people taking advantage and applying for more than what they need. Similarly, there is also a danger of some people falling through the cracks and not receiving the help that they need. So I believe my Ministry's role will be to act as a central interface for this information to be shared by all our many partners on the ground who are delivering assistance.

I also agree with the sentiment that many of you have expressed - that we do need more social workers and our social workers need to be more equipped and to have the necessary support to do their work. I want to acknowledge here that social workers in Singapore play an incredibly important role and, in fact, have been one of the most under-appreciated, under-recognised professions in Singapore, and we must take steps to correct that.

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Let me now move on to ageing issues. Many Members, such as Mr Davinder Singh, Ms Irene Ng, Dr Lily Neo and Dr Warren Lee, have spoken on these. Let me first say that I agree with all of you that we need an inter-agency approach. Ageing issues cut across many sectors, Ministries and agencies, and that is why we do not have a single Ministry for the elderly. We have instead set up a Committee on Ageing Issues (CAI). This is chaired by the Senior Minister of State for Health, Dr Balaji Sadasivan, and co-chaired by my Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman. It comprises both Government and VWO representatives, and this committee has been tasked to focus on five priority areas:

(1) Financial security of the elderly;

(2) Improving the employability of older Singaporeans;

(3) Enabling older Singaporeans to live with their families;

(4) Promoting active ageing; and

(5) Making sure that there is a continuum of care, both healthcare and social care services which our elderly need.

These are not trivial issues. It is not something which we are going to solve overnight, but I put it to you that we have recognised that these are five big areas which we need to look at and address in a significant way.

Mr Ong Ah Heng asked how much we are spending on eldercare and whether this will increase in the future. MCYS' and MOH's budget for eldercare services in this financial year will work out to a total of $98 million. It comprises $12 million from MCYS and $86 million from MOH. This represents an annual growth rate of 4.5% compared to the $82 million that was spent in FY 2001.

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Much of our expenditure on the elderly goes into the Eldercare Masterplan. This is where we fund the VWOs to run a range of eldercare services. It ranges from development programmes for the healthy, all the way to services for the frail. And we are currently reviewing this range of services and we will develop a new Eldercare Masterplan for FY 2006 to FY 2010. We will do this in consultation with our service providers and with the users on the ground.

We will explore Dr Lily Neo's suggestions; Dr Warren Lee's suggestions on seeing how GPs can play a role; and we will certainly look at Dr Chong Weng Chiew's and Ms Irene Ng's suggestion for match-making services for those over 40 and even the elderly and the disabled. I think love should not have an expiry date.

Mr Wee Siew Kim and Mr Sin Boon Ann talked about creating job opportunities for older Singaporeans. This is going to be a priority area. We have just finished the COS for MOM where we talked about reviewing the retirement age policy. It is not something trivial and easy to do. And identifying employment opportunities for the elderly, promoting an elder-friendly workplace, enlightened human resource practices, and looking into the establishment of informal industries and perhaps even providing micro-credit, as Miss Penny Low has suggested - we need to explore the entire spectrum.

We will be piloting a community platform where the elderly or homemakers can make a living selling their own products, whether it be cakes, handicrafts or services. This has been helped recently by MND's decision last year to allow HDB homes to be registered as offices. And in due time, I think all the Ministries are also looking at how we can enable this informal economy to thrive at the edges of what still needs to be a globally competitive economy, which is the core

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of our Singapore economy, and we will certainly look at providing micro-financing.

Mr Wee Siew Kim spoke on the need to keep our elderly active, and I agree absolutely with him. Keeping active can mean working. It can also mean being a volunteer or pursuing a hobby, and I believe it is important in delaying the onset of many of the degenerative diseases which you associate with ageing. I have heard this example of Mr Tan Kok Sing, who at age 80, led three generations of his family in skydiving from a height of 8,000 feet. I have not even dared to do that myself. But I am sure, and I hope, that there are many more elderly like Mr Tan, who serves as an inspiration to all of us, both young and old alike.

To encourage active ageing further, my Ministry runs an Active Seniors Programme (ASP). This scheme funds up to $200,000 to community groups who want to start projects that will tap on the skills and experience of older Singaporeans. So far, 3,000 elderly volunteers have been mobilised under the scheme. One such project is a mentoring scheme run by a local organisation, and it is called the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP). They basically run a scheme in which older Singaporeans act as mentors for latchkey kids. In one scheme, you are addressing both the needs of the elderly and the needs of the young latchkey kids.

I want to encourage more of such projects, and we will set aside $200,000 out of the $1 million for the ASP fund for small-scale projects which are worth $10,000 or less. If need be, and if there are more ideas out there, we will look for additional funds.

My Ministry will also organise more elderly-focused events, starting with an Inter-Generation Bonding Family Day in

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June 2005, and a Sports and Mind-Games Carnival in September 2005, and these are in addition to our regular Senior Citizens' Week which is held every November.

We need to also give the elderly more reasons to be active. Some businesses offer discounts to the elderly during the annual Senior Citizens' Week. MCYS will build on this arrangement by introducing a Concessionary Card for seniors aged 65 and above. Examples of these benefits could include discounts at leisure and sports facilities, shopping centres and restaurants. Mind you, we are not asking for handouts. It makes business sense to reach out to the elderly since they are a growing segment of our population. But by organising it, we can optimise this and make it more attractive for the elderly to go out there to shop, to eat, or just to spend time with each other and get out of their rooms and their flats. In addition, we will also be introducing an annual ''Elder-Friendly Award''. This is to recognise organisations that adopt elder-friendly practices or provide elder-friendly infrastructure, services or products.

Mr Davinder Singh and Dr Lily Neo brought up this very emotive issue of elder abuse. I sympathise entirely with their views. The issue of whether there should be automatic enhancements of penalties for people convicted of abusing the elderly is a complex one which affects the judicial system and the administration of justice, and one which I will leave it to the Minister for Law to address. But, really, the issue is not just one of punishment. We should be looking at preventing it from happening in the first place. And there are still things which we can do to prevent elder abuse or at least to mitigate the effects of elder abuse. It is worthwhile remembering that actually even today, under current legislation, the elder person who is abused can seek help and redress. The Maintenance of Parents' Act is an avenue for the elderly to seek financial

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support from unfilial children. Under the Women's Charter, although we call it the Women's Charter, its protection really extends far beyond that of just women. Anyone in the family who suffers physical, emotional or psychological

abuse can apply for a Personal Protection Order from a Family Court. And the Family Court can make additional orders, including requiring individuals who are involved in family violence to attend mandatory counselling. A breach of the Protection Order constitutes a seizable offence for which one will be arrested. The Penal Code has provisions to protect the elderly against serious offences.

6.15 pm

I would also like to inform Dr Lily Neo that professionals and caregivers are already legally empowered and obligated to advocate on behalf of the elderly victims and help the elderly make informed decisions to protect their interests. The caregiver can apply for a Protection Order on behalf of the elderly person. And if there is criminal intent, the caregiver should report to the Police. The Police will investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

MCYS has established a national network of agencies to ensure that there is effective early detection and intervention for both victims and perpetrators of elder abuse. An elderly person who requires help can access services through these contact points, including Family Service Centres, the Police, hospitals and the court. In the last two years, my Ministry has been conducting regular training sessions to help these service providers intervene appropriately. A booklet on elder abuse and neglect has been developed to guide the service providers.

Learning from our experience with child abuse, we have also piloted a programme which we call the Elder

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Protection Team. This is to manage elder abuse cases. It is a multi-disciplinary team that consists of professionals from fields like geriatrics, psychiatry, law and social work, and it is spearheaded by a VWO called Trans Centre which specialises in family violence. The members constitute representatives from Alexandra Hospital, the Institute of Mental Health, Law Faculty of NUS, the Tsao Foundation and representatives from my Ministry. This will play a primary role in conducting enquiries into the needs of people who are caught in this unfortunate predicament and ensuring that intervention plans are carried out. We will work with the Police and the grassroots organisations to extend our outreach and ensure that the elderly are informed of their rights.

The point about empowering banks to intervene in cases of financial fraud is not so straightforward. In the case of children, they are not adults, they do not have rights to enter into contracts and sign cheques. In the case of the elderly, they are adults and they have legal rights. Whilst you may want to protect them, we need to do so without depriving older Singaporeans of their legal rights to enter into contracts. So there is a fine balance between protection and removing the autonomy and respect which older Singaporeans should enjoy. Nevertheless, it is an issue which we will study in greater detail.

Let me now turn very quickly to the other area on helping persons with disabilities. We have two principles governing our approach. First, we want disabled Singaporeans to be integrated into mainstream society. Second, we want to maximise the potential of disabled Singaporeans. We want them to be able to be as independent as possible. It is in their interest and the interest of their families and society in general. My Ministry will be raising its spending on disability-related programmes by one-third to $39 million this financial year.

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Integration with society means giving people with disabilities more opportunities. It means making Singapore more disabled-friendly. An example of this also means making sure our transport infrastructure is upgraded and truly disabled-friendly. We have taken significant steps to make Singapore more disabled-friendly. We know that LTA has announced that by 2006, all existing MRT stations would be retrofitted and be accessible to all, including those with wheelchairs. The pace of the Lift Upgrading Programme has been accelerated by the Ministry of National Development. This and many other issues, for example, where my Ministry cannot do it alone, we need to work closely with MOT, MND, MOH and many other Ministries to achieve this. But I promise we will continue to be the agitator and the champion for increasing the access of the disabled into mainstream society.

I now want to touch on the Assistive Technology Fund (ATF). This provides subsidies for assistive technology, basically computer and other high-tech equipment which can enable disabled people to overcome their primary disabilities. Let me give you an example. A secondary three student with muscular dystrophy was one of the recent beneficiaries of this scheme. Through this scheme, he was able to obtain some assistive computer technology which helped him keep up with his school work. By enabling him to keep up with his school work, he would be able to achieve fully and better education and, ultimately, better hope for the future.

We will be enhancing this scheme in four ways. First, we will allow pre-school children to benefit from the ATF. That is because intervention at an earlier age is more significant than intervening at a later stage. Second, we are going to increase the subsidies available for people under the Assistive Technology Fund. We will

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increase it by 15%. For households earning less than $300 per person, we will increase the subsidy all the way up to 90%. Third, we are going to make it easier for the disabled to apply for the ATF. In the past, the disabled could only apply through six ATF assessment centres. Now, we will enable them to apply for it through any VWO or hospital. Fourth, some disabled require specialised assessment and assistance in using these devices. The Society of the Physically Disabled, with the support of NCSS, has set up a Specialised Assistive Technology Centre to do this. All these enhancements to the ATF will benefit an estimated 1,150 persons.

Mr Sin Boon Ann called for improving the employment prospects for people with disabilities. We focus our effort on job placement, vocational assessment and training. As at December 2004, Bizlink, which is a non-profit organisation, has managed to place about 56% of the disabled who registered with them looking for jobs. This is a considerable success rate if you think of the obstacles that they confront.

We are now looking at the development of more employment test beds. An employment testbed is an arrangement where a VWO partners an employer to specially design the job so that the disabled person can do it. Examples have been cited in this House, like restaurants, waiters, etc. This complements the national job redesign programme that NTUC is spearheading. In a pilot employment testbed that we started last year, the Association of Persons with Special Needs (APSN) worked with Training Master Workforce Institute to successfully place 60% of its clients in cleaning jobs. With the success of this testbed, we are going to launch two more employment testbeds this year. We will continue to study this and see how we can optimise this further. But I want to say that I am not in favour of making legislative

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changes or affirmative action to guarantee access or to improve the access of the disabled people as far as getting jobs is concerned. There are many people who are looking for jobs. We, as a matter of principle, have resisted the temptation to rely on affirmative action and of making legislative changes because of the job and labour rigidity that will create its impact on the competitiveness of our economy. But, more importantly, it will in the long run impair the employability of people with disabilities. They may get token jobs, but not real jobs. It is better that we tackle the upstream - the more difficult part of changing jobs, changing mindsets and redesigning opportunities - before we resort to what seems like an obvious easy solution.

Let me now touch on maximising the potential of children with disabilities. We know that early intervention makes a difference. Despite the Government subsidies for early intervention centres (or EIPIC), it can still cost a parent up to $400 a month to send a child to such an early intervention centre.

That is why we are now going to liberalise the use of the Baby Bonus for parents who want to send such children for early intervention programmes. This will unlock potentially up to $24,000 per child to be used for these programmes. This will take effect from 1st July this year. I will touch on other aspects of the Baby Bonus with the remaining time that I have.

Dr Lily Neo, Mr Sin Boon Ann and Miss Penny Low talked about caregivers. It is a labour of love to care for someone who is elderly, sick or disabled. Caregivers are often under-recognised and need our support and admiration as well. I do agree that we need to help them, provide them more information, training and emotional support. In order to help them, we will be introducing a "Care Coordinators" pilot project at 10 eldercare facilities across the

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island. A care coordinator will provide information on services that can support the caregiver, assist in referring cases, and provide counselling for the caregiver. The care coordinator will also arrange for training and support programmes to enhance the welfare of caregivers. If this pilot works, we will extend it to more centres.

I am also happy to report that nine days ago, on 1st March, we set up a Disability Information and Resource Centre (DIRC). This is a one-stop centre which will provide information and guidance to all those who need help in looking after the disabled. It will be a hotline service and it also provides face-to-face consultation services as well as web and electronic access. We hope it will ease the burden on caregivers by helping with referrals to the most appropriate agencies - the hospitals, VWOs, CDCs and other organisations which can help the people under their care.

To raise the awareness of the importance of home-based caregiving and to publicise other forms of caregiver support, my Ministry will earmark an annual budget of $400,000 to fund sustained public education programmes for caregivers.

Sir, let me just touch on families. All of us cherish our families. They are our greatest source of joy, friendship, emotional satisfaction and moral support. Our families mould us, define our values, and ultimately give our lives meaning. But family life and work all clamour for our attention. All of us need to constantly remind ourselves as to what is truly important in our lives.

As we try to support families at a practical level, the Government has already taken some concrete measures. The five-day work week was introduced in the civil service. We provided childcare leave, additional maternity leave as well

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as funding for initiatives that promote work-life balance in companies.

Financial support, in the form of Baby Bonus, is part of the pro-family package. Mr Sin Boon Ann asked whether this money has resulted in any improvement in the birth rates. Sir, I really do not want to count the chickens - or the babies - before they are hatched. But I do want to assure Mr Sin that we are working with the people and the private sector to actively promote strong family bonds. We conduct marriage support and enrichment programmes, parent-child bonding initiatives as well as training on parenting skills and inter-generational bonding activities. We have initiatives like the School Family Education and the "School Social Work to Empower Pupils to Utilise their Potential" programme (or STEP-UP), which have been set up in 144 schools, to help parents upgrade their parenting skills while equipping their children with life skills. That said, a strong family only works as an act of will and commitment. The foundation for a family ultimately must be love, respect and communication. The Government and the community can only provide a supporting environment. We cannot make it happen.

6.30 pm

On the effectiveness of the Baby Bonus and other monetary schemes, I want to reiterate this point: the decision to have a baby must be a personal decision made by the two people involved, and not by the Government. Our financial support is not an incentive to "buy" more babies. It is your decision, but we will support you.

We know that the cost of raising a child is a key consideration for many couples. So the Baby Bonus was conceived, unintended, as a way to help defray the costs of raising children. The Baby Bonus

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has a two-tier grant structure. The first-tier is a direct cash gift of $3,000 each for the first and second child, and $6,000 each for the third and fourth child. The second-tier is a co-savings component over six years where Government matches the parents' contributions into the child's saving account, dollar for dollar, up to a maximum amount.

We have received much feedback over the last few months asking that this scheme be made more flexible. We have made it more flexible in two ways. First, we allow the co-savings to be used to pay the fees of not only MCYS-licensed childcare centres and MOE-registered kindergartens, but we will now allow the Baby Bonus co-savings to be used to purchase MediShield or MediShield-equivalent healthcare insurance for their children from December 2005. This will give parents greater peace of mind over unexpected medical bills, should their children suffer from prolonged medical problems.

We will also be more flexible in the way we match the parents' savings. Some parents miss out on the contributions every year because they say, "Well, I am unemployed", or "I have cash flow problem and I cannot contribute to it now.". Others say, "I want to put all the money in upfront, early.". We have increased the flexibility so that parents can “top up�? the co-savings up to a maximum of $6,000 for the second child and $12,000 each for the third and fourth child, any time within the six-year period, and we will match it. With this flexibility, I would encourage all families to take advantage of the savings scheme and set aside money for their children's long-term future.

We will also make it more convenient for parents to benefit from the Baby Bonus Scheme. In the past, even right now, parents have to fill in an application form for the Baby Bonus cash gift, then

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they have to make a trip down to a POSB branch to open a co-savings account. We will now move towards a one-stop, one-form, opt-out system, for both the cash gift and the Baby Bonus co-savings, all at the point when you register your child. We want to make it convenient and we want all of you to open this account, and not make it difficult and lechey for you to do so. Our target is to do this by December 2005. But, if I can accelerate it, I will do so.

Adoption leave - we introduced this last year as part of our pro-family package to allow adoptive mothers to care for their newborns, aged 6 months and below. Adoptive mothers are eligible for Adoption leave of up to four weeks if their employers voluntarily grant it. The leave would be granted when the adoption was completed. The only problem was that usually it took more than six months for the adoption process to be completed and, therefore, de facto , hardly anyone could enjoy the leave.

Again, in response to feedback, we have changed the system. We will now allow adoptive mothers to take their Adoption leave at a much earlier point in the adoption process. With this change, adoptive mothers can take leave at the point when the Court appoints MCYS as Guardian-Ad-Litem, or, in the case of a foreign adoption, when the child has received a dependant's pass. This will mean that the leave will start fairly soon after the child is physically with the adoptive family. I believe this is important, especially for the mother to look after the adoptive newborn, and to bond with the newborn.

Families, being the first line of support, are just one of the “Many Helping Hands�? holding up our social safety net. Other major partners are the people sector and Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs). They play a vital role, as I have said earlier, in delivering

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services on the ground. They feel, know and understand the problems faced by the less fortunate in our society.

We need our VWOs to be professional and innovative. Many of them, in fact, all of them, rely on the public for their funds. We want to encourage them not only to economise on the way they spend the money, but also, as Miss Penny Low has suggested, to look for more sustainable models to generate revenue. And that is where this issue of social enterprise comes in.

Social enterprise is basically a business, but a business with a social mission. Profits or surpluses are not generated for the sake of shareholders but are used to further a social objective. I believe if more VWOs try the social enterprise model, they would have a more sustainable and, hopefully, more secure source of funding in the future. It is also another way for VWOs to help create jobs for their target recipients of their assistance.

So, to support social enterprises, MCYS has already set up the Social Enterprise Fund a year and a half ago. It provides seed capital for these social enterprises and, to-date, we have awarded about $3.6 million to support 38 projects. Of these, 31 have already started operations. We have linked them up with more established businessmen and people with more experience in business. I want to make an appeal here for successful Singaporeans with business experience to lend their expertise, business contacts and acumen to these fledgling social enterprises.

These are just infant steps. It is only just the beginning. There have been many, many more suggestions coming from MPs and people on the ground. I want to encourage all the people involved

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in this to share best practices, to network and to be more innovative in coming up with new programmes. We will look into all these suggestions as we nurture this sector.

Mr Chairman, I am not sure there is enough time. I was hoping actually for my Minister of State to deliver more details.

The Chairman: Mrs Yu-Foo, I presume you will speak tomorrow. We can perhaps allow some clarifications on the part of your speech. Do you wish, Dr Balakrishnan?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: It will take about twenty minutes for her speech.

The Chairman: So, Mrs Yu-Foo will speak tomorrow.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Maybe I will use the remaining time for clarifications.

The Chairman: May I suggest that Members withhold any clarifications on the ComCare Fund since the MOS has yet to speak on it, and ask clarification on other aspects of the Minister's speech.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Thank you, Mr Chairman.

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, just a point of clarification. When I mentioned about legislation to facilitate employment for the elderly and the disabled, I was not referring to any form of affirmative action. What I was referring to was the introduction of legislation to make it an offence to discriminate, and this is really quite different from reserving jobs for the elderly, which I understand bucks against

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the trends of the market forces and may not be in our economic interests.

There are many countries in the West that have adopted such legislation. I know that one of the difficulties has to do with finding the basis for prosecuting a prospective employer on the basis of discrimination. But I suppose such legislation is not intended to bring about enforcement or prosecution, but to change the mindset and to signal a change on the part of prospective employers that there is a framework out there which compels them to take into account fairness and openness when seriously considering applications from such disabled or elderly persons.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I sympathise with the intent behind the Member's proposal, but I remain unconvinced that legislation is the most effective way of changing mindsets. I think we have to work on persuasion, education and demonstrating by social pressure that it is wrong to discriminate. But the issue of discrimination goes beyond just the disabled and elderly. There are other cases like gender, ethnic or religious. So there are many issues when we talk about discrimination. So far, as a matter of policy, we have avoided the temptation to legislate against discrimination, not that we feel that it is not important, but the difficulties in enforcement and implementation have led us to hesitate before going down that road. But it is certainly something which you, and many of us, are concerned with, and we will continue to study this. I am not willing to move down that road yet.

Dr Lily Neo: Mr Chairman, earlier on, the Minister said that he would leave the law on elderly abuse to the Ministry of Law. Can I ask him: surely, this provision must be initiated by his Ministry, rather than just leaving it to the Ministry of Law?

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Could I ask the Minister whether he would consider setting up a Central Registry since he is streamlining all the different schemes of assistance and employing more social workers to look into this group that is most in need?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The proposal from Mr Davinder Singh was for automatic enhancement of penalties for people who have been convicted of elder abuse. He used the precedent set by changes which we made to the law with respect to domestic maids. Again, I will reiterate that I share the sentiment behind it, but I want this House to be aware that every time you legislate so-called automatic enhancements of penalties, or you make mandatory penalties in place, you are actually tying the hands and the discretion of our courts and you are making our legal system less flexible. So there are both pros and cons to this proposal. I have said that I am not convinced that this is the road yet. But looking at what needs to be done to prevent elder abuse, what we need to do to ensure early detection of elder abuse, and what we need to do to support victims of elder abuse have led me to the conclusion that there is a lot more work to be done upstream, rather than opting for this apparently easy quick-fix.

Now, I grant you that it does send a signal but, again, the problem is with implementation and the fact that you are tying the hands and the discretion of the judges. The prosecutors can, and do, ask for deterrent sentences. And that is why I said it is more an issue of the administration of justice, rather than a policy of how important elder abuse is to our society. Nevertheless, it is still something which I would study together with my colleague, the Minister for Law.

The second question on social register. We need to set up a central registry of all people receiving help. Similarly, we

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also need to keep track of all the people who are involved in this sector. I also agree that we need more social workers. But, let me tell you, social workers do not grow on trees, and it is not just a matter of money because social workers need a very special type of person with a special heart and attitude. In the case of Singapore, it is not again something that you can just freely import because the cultural sensitivity, understanding of local conditions, means it is a very precious resource. So I am all for looking for more support for them, but I cannot promise you that overnight you can have a large increase in social workers. It is just not possible.

Mdm Cynthia Phua: Mr Chairman, I am glad that the HOPE scheme has helped 450 families. Many of these families that are targeted by HOPE will only find difficulty after the third child, which immediately disqualifies them. I would like to ask the Minister to identify these potential families earlier, maybe at the first-born, or even at the point of marriage.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I think Mdm Cynthia Phua has identified it quite correctly. We need to send this message out early, not after the second child; in fact, at the point of getting married or at the point of having the first child. I agree with her absolutely that we need to step up our efforts to send this message out. We will be redoubling our efforts to work with the CDCs, the VWOs, maybe even the hospitals, doctors and social workers involved in these families, so that we can advise them early enough in the process.

The Chairman: Members could reserve the rest of their questions for tomorrow when I suspect there would be more time. Order. It is 6.45 pm.

Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

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Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2005/2006, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.

Mr Deputy Speaker: So be it.